MIAMI– Four out of five starters and six total Panthers scored ten or more points as FIU men's basketball (4-3) knocked off upstart FGCU (5-4) 89-83 on Wednesday night at Ocean Bank Convocation Center, the first time the Panthers wore the VICE jerseys in 2025-26.

"It's always sweet to beat an interstate rival, especially one that's had a lot of success and one I think is going to win a lot of ball games and contend for a conference championship," head coach Jeremy Ballard said. "That was really big for us. We had a tough loss to them last year, lost by one and had a shot at the buzzer to win. Two years ago we were up 15 in the second half and couldn't hold on. So it felt great to lead for basically the entire game this time, and not just hold on for dear life, but stay consistent and make plays on both sides of the ball to win."

After the Eagles ran to a hot 7-2 start early, the Panthers stabilized and got back in front with a small 6-0 run after Eric Dibami fought for a layup. Corey Stephenson added to it on the next possession, stretching it to 11-7 at 16:16.

FGCU quickly cut it back to four, but not before a massive sequence which saw Hamed Olayinka sink a three, then Ibrahim Olajuwon swat a block on the other end that led to a rebound and dunk by Julian Mackey. Mackey's ensuing three-pointer a few moments later pushed the Panther lead to 27-17 at the under-12.

FIU scored only six points over the next four minutes and change, seeing the Eagles come all the way back and take a brief 34-33 lead at 5:57. The Eagles' advantage was short-lived, though, as after trading buckets following, Zawdie Jackson nailed a three at 1:27 - the final FG of the half. The Panthers led 44-38 after one.

The Panthers found another gear after the halftime refresh, extending their lead and answering every Eagles bucket. Brit Harris' three at 13:10 made it a 12-point game, the Panthers' biggest lead to that point.

Normally, when a team doesn't make a field goal for the final six minutes of a game, something is awry, but that was not the case for the Panthers, who scored their final 17 points of the contest via the free throw, a bugaboo coming into the game. The Panthers ranked second to last in the nation in FT% coming in, but locked in when it mattered - recording a season-best 30-35 mark from the line, good for 85.7%. Despite a furious dash, the Panthers earned their first win over FGCU since the 2021-22 season at 89-83.

Jackson was the ringleader of double-digit scorers, notching his 46th career 20-point game, most on the Panthers by a wide stretch. He went 10-11 from the line in the win.

"I give credit to my teammates, because if they weren't in the right spots, I wouldn't have gotten fouled. Honestly, I've been dealing with a little injury, so I haven't felt like myself," Jackson said. "At the free-throw line, it's just you and the rim, so you have to trust yourself. That's what I tried to do. I felt like that was where I could help my team. In the last six minutes we didn't really make any field goals, so being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line was important when nobody is guarding you. It's just you and the rim."

Stephenson extended his monster stretch with another 18-point, seven-rebound outing, contributing to a 6-7 performance from the line.

"We work on that in practice, and we locked in when we went to the free-throw line," Stephenson said. "We know that's been a big reason we've struggled this year, and we've lost a couple of games because of it. So, like I said to a couple of our leaders, we're not going to lose again because of free throws and rebounding. We went up there and did what we were supposed to do."

Mackey (13, four assists, three steals), Harris (12), Dibami (10) and Olayinka (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers in the win, the second time this season the Panthers had six score 10 or more. Dibami had a nice night, adding six rebounds, two blocks and a great 4-4 from the charity stripe. Harris now sits 31 points from 1,000 in his career.

UP NEXT
The Panthers run with another ASUN and in-state opponent, playing Jacksonville for the first time since 2016 in the confines of the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday.

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